Baseball



E. H. HAWES July 14, 1953 BASEBALL Filed March 30, 1949 Patented July 14, 1953 BASEBALL Edward H. Hawes, Natick, Mass, assignor to H.

Harwood and Sons, Inc.,Natick,'Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 30, 19 49 Serial N 0. 84,361

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-60) My present invention relates to baseballs including playing balls of the softball type, playground balls and the like as well as those for the standard game of baseball. The term baseball is herein used inclusively for any and all of such playing balls. The invention aims to provide a simplified and otherwise improved method of manufacture together with an improved baseball product of relatively low manufacturing cost as compared with the sewed leather-covered baseball yet having an extended playing life and otherwisesuited to general amateur play.

In the drawings illustrating a baseball embodying the invention and showing stages or steps in the manufacture thereof: 1

Fig. 1 is an elevational View of a finished ball;

Figs. 2 and 3 show a wrapped core and the similar core prepared for molding, respectively;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view as for example on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a mold appropriate to the method of the invention.

Baseballs of the various grades generally have had sewed leather covers. Because such ball covering is expensive both as to the leather material and particularly as to the skilled labor involved, efforts have been directed toward supplying a substitute playing ball at less manufacturing cost but which would be acceptable for many uses such as in school-boy and playground games, for scrub teams and the like. It has been proposed to take a suitablecore, serve it with an outer wrap of yarn and then apply a thin coat or impregnation of rubber cement or the like ade quate to anchor the yarn. Such balls were unattractive in appearance and had a rather harsh uneven surface with little resistance to wear. They resembled and indeed were substantially equivalent to a usual wrapped core before the application of the regular leather cover.

" To extend the useful life of such substantially non-covered wound core-like ball it has been proposed to provide a covering element by dipping the uncovered ball or wrapped core referred to in a'mixture of latex and then either merely to allow the same to set to a finished condition or else to subject it immediately to curing heat and pressure in a mold. Efforts along that line resulted in balls having a more substantial outer surface or covering but through which the lines of the underlying yarn winding were prominently visible and sensible as'distinct projective ribs or corrugations. In some instances these latex or rubber-covered balls had inked onto them a figlire-eight line of short angular marks suggestive of a sewn seam presumed to improve the appear- 1. "A'further proposal along the foregoing line is that-disclosed in U. S. Patents Nos. 2,242,455 and.

There a thin pre-formed outer skinlike layer of latex is supplied over a previous undercoating of latex compound by applying a layer of latex material to the interior of a hot mold and placing into such latex-coated mold a previously latex-treated wound core having the latex compound thereon in a wet condition of liquid consistency. Patent No.. 2,242,455 states that the mold preferably is provided in intaglio with a depression made by the seam of a ball. Then the latex material painted or applied to the inside of the mold and entering such seam depression would in effect additively mold onto the l outer surface of the finished ball a ridge simulating the appearance of. the usual baseball seam. Such pre-formedouter skin with on-molded or afilxed seam representation affords somewhat better concealment of the thread winding and outer surface irregularities but has not proven satisfactory. The pre-formed outer skin resultant from "internally coating the mold is likely to remain a more or less separate or disjunct element which tends to stiffen and become fragile.

J Then when the ball is batted the pre-formed skin "shortl'ybreaks and peels off. Likewise the stitchsimulating ridge being an on-m'olded or additive formation is quickly worn off in use even prior to disruption of the outer skin. 1

In. accordance with my present invention anything in the nature of a separate or pre-formed outer layer or skin is entirely avoided. The prepared core of any usual or preferred composition and having the customary yarn or thread winding applied to it; with or without rubberous impregnation, is subjected to dipping and coagulating operations whereby the total quantity of material for a final outer covering of latex composition is immediately applied including adequate latexmaterial for the production of a seam formation'from the integral self-material of the -.on the w'all consisting in part of depressions or i matrices and in part of projections relative to the main formative surface of the mold. In the course of the heat and pressure treatment in the mold, which may include a vulcanizing action if the latex composition includes a vulcanizing agent, a multiplicity of stitch-simulating linear formations are projectively raised or embossed upon the outer surface of the resultant ball. This embossing of a seam-simulation is effected by elevation of the self-material of the latex cover, as to the herringbone-like mounds representative of the usual stitches of a sewn leathercoveredball, and by the simultaneous formation of dot-like imprints at the outer ends of the stitch mounds. the usual leather cover through which the actual stitches extend.

The resultant outer covering of latex composie; tion is homogeneous throughoutits entire thickness including that at the line of stitch-simulating mound-like projections. The dip-formed and subsequently molded and embossed latex cover is substantially opaque, wholly free of objectionable surface irregularities and leaves the underlying iwind'lines of the core scarcely or not at all discernible. The opacity and smoothness of .coverage may be varied in accordance with the number of latex dippings applied to the wound core and the thickness and viscosity of the latex composition employed.

Inthe manufacture of balls under the invention a core 6, -Fig.2,,is formed of selected material in any known or preferred manner. Suitable core materials, according to the type of play intended for the ball, include cotton and other fibrous-masses,,felt and other textile clippings with which light fibres such as kapok may be mixed, and other compressible masses such as cork or rubber. Such core 6 is desirably compressively molded under heat and pressure into a self-contained sphere of appropriate hardness.

Over the form core 6 is applied a winding 1 of thread or yarn tightly wrapped asby a winding machine. The yarn or thread in the wound layer Twill hereinbe generically termined a strand, which may be single or plural and of selected size, weight and tensile strength having in mind the play intended, as for example a sewing cotton appropriate for heavy fabrics or a strand comparable, to. a fine packaging string.

In some instances the outer turns in the wound layer 1 may be anchored by a wash, spray or other application of a rubberous cement or the like but generally the composite spherical body 8 of Fig. 2 i

consisting of the core proper v6 and the strand winding layer 1 is found to require no special preparatory treatment. The core 6 and the winding layer 1 are so dimensioned that the resultant wound core 8 .is distinctly less in diameter than the cavity of the particular mold such as M of Fig. 5, byan amount not greater and preferably slightly less than-the thickness of the subsequent dip-applied latex material now to be referred to.

Following the method of the invention a wrapped core 8, suchas that of Fig. 2, is suitably supported, as by an inserted spike S, Fig. 3, and isdipped in a bath of natural or synthetic uncured latex mixed with thickening and/or modifying agents according to the mixture an augmented viscosity or semi-fluid consistency. This is so selected that upon immersion of the wrapped core, 81in the latex at room temperature or thereabouts and withdrawal after a brief accumulatinginterval a completely covering latex layer or coat is retained having a generally uniform thickness exceeding the diameter of the strand components of the winding 1, usually of the order of about 3 2- toes in. or slightly more. Depending somewhat on the particular latex mixture em- These imprints correspond to holesi'inii'- ployed a single dipping usually is adequate but may be repeated if an extra thickness is desired. To meet special requirements of certain balls the latex coat may be built up homogeneously to various extents. In any instance the thickness of the latex cover formation indicated at 9 in Figs. 3 and 4 is calculated with reference to the undersizing of the wrappedcore 8 relative to the mold cavity. The outer diameter of the clipped body I0 after the coagulation and drying referred to .below is such as to give it a snug or slightly oversize fit in a bare mold cavity.

Upon withdrawal from the latex bath the resultant;;dip-cov.ered body [0 receives an all-over application'of a coagulating agent, as for example aceticacid, by dipping or otherwise. Under the attendant coagulation the latex layer is uniformly distributed and the outer surface becomes smooth;- The latex coated body It still supported of an appropriate .mold'M havinga cavity M, the

inner surface of which; is1-pr0vided with a curved seriespflinear-depressionsd-disposed in offset herringbone.arrangement and-having atthe opposite '50Llt8h, -ends small dot-like projections h.

The. inner endsof: the depressions d terminate at IQ is -placed in aclean moldsuch as M the entirety of-which-comprises-a similar mating halfa slightly raised ridge or finyfl; It will be evident that these depressions and projections at the surface of the moldycavity; are the 7 reverse of the component-elements .ofthe. seamfound on the usual. leather-covered sewed baseball.

In accordance with the method a dry ball body vheat-andepressure--molding and curing step is continued over anappropriate interval of at least several-gminutes-.duration.- Asstated the dried coated ball Ill has an .outerdiameter at least equalling, that of, -the main surface of the mold caVi-ty M, a slightoversiz-ing being preferable.

lihtheicourse-,of.subjection-to heat and pressure in themold theself-materialof the latex cover 9 is forced out into the; mold depressions d as aided by .the-raised smoldaformations h and 1. Accordingly there-is producedwhat I term an embossed-,seameimulating formation as illustrated in Figs. .1 ands, Inthis connection it is emphasizedthat when: the dried coated ball body such as. H1 is. introduced into the mold the surface of theslatter is clean-and free of any painting or other..app1ication of-latex capable of 'additively providing anything in the, nature of a pre-formed thin outer-skinor :coating'forzthe ball. Thegresultant.seam-simulating formation provided -by;integral homogeneous. elements of the self-imatflrialpf;thelatex-cover unit 9 itself compi-ises-lthe .;series of isl-ightly staggered herringb'onedmoundsor stitch-like projection l2, Figs. 31 ande lg oppositely arranged along a central figure-eight linear depression I3 corresponding to the actual juncture line of the leather covering parts of a usual baseball, and a double series of dot-like depressions 14 corresponding to the needle holes of the leather-cover through which the actual stitches extend; see in this connection particularly Fig. 4.

It will be understood that the integrally embossed seam-forming element comprising the components l2, l3, [4 not only enhances the appearance of the ball but also serves the necessary function in a playing ball as here concerned of enabling the thrower to obtain a proper grip upon the ball especially in the case of pitchers and the throwing of curve balls. By reason of the integral structure of the single unitary latex cover 9 and the stitch-like mound l2 embossed thereon the useful life of the baseball is materially increased, and the seam formation is operatively retained substantially co-extensively with the life of the cover as a whole. The main surface of the latter is satisfactorily clear of objectionable irregularities and reveals little or nothing of the lines of the underlying winding layer 7. At the same time the unitarily molded latex cover 9 is adequately bonded with the strands of the winding 7 as indicated in Fig. 4 and is held securely in position under the expected incidents of play.

It will be understood that my invention, either as to product, or method, is not limited to the exemplary embodiment or steps herein illustrated or described, and I set forth its scope in my following claim:

A baseball comprising a spherical core, a strand winding thereon to a diameter less by cover thickness than that for the finished ball, and a nonpreformed opaque wear-resistant cover of latex bonded to the winding and filling the interstices and surface voids thereof, said cover constituting an integrated unitary one-piece shell of generally uniform thickness averaging slightly greater than the diameter of the adjacent components of the strand winding, the main outer face of the cover presenting a uniformly smooth winding-obscur ing spherical surface structure as characterized by dipping the wound core in and accumulating thereon liquid latex initially to a slight oversize of the ultimate ball and coagulating and drying the dip-covered wound core prior to mold entry, said cover further presenting an integral outwardly projective embossed sewed-seam-simulating formation of self-material comprising an endless figure-eight series of stitch-like mounds oppositely arranged along a juncture-imitating line with dot-like needle-hole simulations at the opposite ends of the stitch mounds, the finished cover with said self-embossed formation having the structural characteristics resultant from heat and pressure emboss-extruding treatment of the dip-covered coagulated and dried over-sized latex-covered wound core in a seam-embossing separable mold with metal-walled empty latexfree cavity of desired ball size.

EDWARD H. HAWES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 21,115 Winterbauer June 13, 1939 165,994 Giblin July 27, 1875 1,521,808 Fox Jan. 6, 1925 1,550,795 Fox Aug. 25, 1925 1,562,912 Penfold Nov. 24, 1925 1,626,459 Geer Apr. 26, 1927 2,061,604 Winterbauer Nov. 24, 1936 2,091,684 Mabee Aug. 31, 1937 2,093,737 Reach Sept. 21, 1937 2,157,580 Voit et al May 9, 1939 2,213,479 Voit et al Sept. 3, 1940 2,242,455 DeBeer May 20, 1941 2,275,374 DeBeer Mar. 3, 1942 2,324,277 Casey et a1. July 13, 1943 2,358,535 Reymond Sept. 19, 1944 2,378,700 Habib June 19, 1945 2,483,234 Roberts Sept. 27, 1949 

